I thought I was texting my best friend when I sent that photo in lingerie with the message: "Wanna sleep?"💤

Then I realized I'd sent it to Nathan—my stepbrother who I hadn't spoken to in four years.

Before I could delete it, he replied instantly: "Address.".......

When I saw those two words pop up in our chat after four years of silence—brief yet commanding—I completely froze.

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

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.........

Ashley and I always messed around in our conversations, no filter whatsoever.

I'd just landed my first lead role in a new production, and the crew was treating me pretty well. The hotel suite they'd arranged was huge.

Fresh out of the shower, I was wearing the sexy nightgown Ashley had sent me as a prank gift. I thought I'd snap a photo to send her.

Who would've thought I'd accidentally send it to Nathan, who'd been pinned to the top of my contacts all this time?

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Nathan and I hadn't been in touch for ages—not since my mom divorced his dad.

I thought he would've deleted my number by now. Never expected him to reply in seconds.

Some deep-rooted memory made me obediently send him my location.

After hitting send, reality kicked in and I panicked.

Would Nathan really come?

I paced around for a bit, then remembered—I was in Vancouver filming. What was I worried about?

How could he possibly show up here?With that thought, I relaxed into bed.

In the middle of the night, the phone] rang.

Half-asleep, I answered.

That familiar cold voice came through: "Open the door.",..

My mind snapped awake.

"Nathan?! I mean... bro?"

There seemed to be a soft laugh on the other end.

Before I could figure out if I'd imagined it, his serious voice returned: "I'm at your door. Open up."

Now I was completely awake.

I jumped out of bed, didn't even put on slippers, and rushed to open the door.

November weather—the man at my door stood there in a black coat that emphasized his tall, lean frame.

A wave of cool detachment hit me.

I couldn't help but shiver.His gaze landed somewhere on me, paused, then turned dark and intense.

"Bro, what are you doing here?"

"Didn't you invite me?"

I was mortified: "...Wrong person."

"So who were you trying to send it to?"

His eyes narrowed, his presence suddenly turning icy: "Boyfriend?"

I felt inexplicably pressured and rushed to explain: "No, Ashley Parker. You know her."

"You're still in touch with her."

"What's wrong?"

He frowned, clearly annoyed about my best friend.

Right, he never liked Ashley back in high school.

He looked down and suddenly frowned: "Why aren't you wearing shoes?"

I hurried back to put on slippers.

When I turned around, he had already closed the door and come in, shutting out the cold.

Seeing him approach, I got nervous:

"Bro, why are you in Canada too?"

"Work."

"Where are you staying tonight?"

"Didn't you want me to sleep with you?"

I gave a bitter smile: "You know I sent it by mistake..."

"Lily"

When he used my full name, I got scared.

Back in high school, whenever I did something he disapproved of, he'd call me by my full name.

"We haven't been in contact for four years, right?"

"Yeah..."

"So how exactly did you send it to the wrong person?"

His gaze was intense.

"Didyou do it on purpose?"

"No!"

"You have me pinned?"

I lowered my head even more.

"Hmm..."

A soft laugh came from above, his tone certain: "Why do you have me pinned?"

He suddenly pressed closer, his questioning almost aggressive.

I instinctively backed away, accidentally hit the bed frame, and lost my balance.

Nathan reached out to catch me but somehow failed.

We both tumbled onto the soft bedding.

His hand landed in a very... awkward place.

I felt his hand seem to move slightly against my chest.

My face burned red.This nightgown was extremely thin, and I wasn't wearing a bra...

"Pervert, g-get up!"

I pushed him away.

But he pinned me down instead: "You already called me a pervert. Wouldn't it be a waste not to live up to the title?"

His tone was teasing, his gaze lazy.

I stared at him in disbelief."Bro, is it really you?"

"Who's your bro?"

His fingers caught a certain point and tugged.

A current shot through my entire body, and I froze.

He stared at me intently: "Would your brother do this to you?"That look contained so many emotions that I couldn't make a sound.

And I remembered the past...Nathan and I became stepsiblings when I was a freshman in high school.

My mom had remarried many times throughout her life.

But this was the first time she'd married into such a good family.

The Winters were old money, and I still don't understand what Nathan's dad saw in my mom.

Was it her looks?I knew my mom—given her track record, she'd probably get divorced again eventually.

So from the moment I entered the Winter mansion, I never planned to build relationships with any of them.

Never used a cent of their money either.

Throughout high school, I made money running errands for Ashley.I lived in the Winter house with the intention of keeping my distance from everyone.

But Nathan kept disrupting my plans.

For some reason, he paid a lot of attention to me.

Maybe it was his upbringing that prevented him from ignoring his sister.

Even one with no blood relation.

He'd tirelessly help me with homework, drive me to and from school.

He wouldn't let me fool around or let any sketchy people get close to me.

Knowing I was forgetful and scatterbrained, his backpack always had things I might need.

He seemed to really see himself as my brother.

Just when I was getting used to accepting him as my brother, I suddenly discovered he wasn't what I thought.

Senior year, Ashley asked me to pursue her nemesis, our school's top liberal arts student, Mason Chen.